The Start Of Something New
by TheKeyToDestiny
Summary: Serena is the new student at Lumiose High Boarding School. She never planned on joining the popular crowd but sometimes things don't always go as planned. Kalosshipping, Visorshipping, Almiashipping, Heartsoulshipping
1. Chapter 1

**I've been itching to write a multi-chaptered Kalosshipping fic lately but I haven't been able to figure what plot to use. So I've decided to use a cliché plot but with my own writing style and interpretation. This is not an AU without any Pokémon, the Pokémon will still be present and there will be Pokémon battles in the future chapters. Please enjoy this new story of mine.**

 **Title: The Start Of Something New**

 **Characters: Serena, Calem, Rosa, Nate, Kate, Kellyn, Lyra and Ethan**

 **Shippings: Kalosshipping (Calem/Serena), Visorshipping (Nate/Rosa), Almiashipping (Kellyn/Kate), Heartsoulshipping (Ethan/Lyra)**

 **Summary: Serena is the new student at Lumiose High Boarding School. She never planned on joining the popular crowd but sometimes things don't always go as planned.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

Serena Fiore never planned on joining the popular crowd when she transferred to Lumiose High Boarding School. But that plan went down the drain when her roommate turned out to be one of the popular girls, one of the nice popular girls that is. Serena's roommate, Rosa White, was one of the popular girls and she quickly introduced Serena to her friends, Lyra Kotone and Kate Hitomi. But luckily for Serena they were really nice and they became fast friends. It's been nearly a week since Serena transferred schools after she and her mother moved to Lumiose City. But Serena never planned on joining the popular crowd and that was how she found herself sitting at the same table with not one but _two_ of the of the most popular guys in the school, Calem Xander and Nate Black, during math class. Her friends, Lyra, Kate and Rosa weren't with her in this class. Usually, Serena didn't care about who she sat with in class, but she got lots of stares and glares from the other girls in the class and it was distracting her from concentrating on the class.

Serena heaved a sigh of relief when the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class and school. Serena packed up her stuff and met her friend, Kate, at the lockers as their lockers were just beside each other. Serena opened up her locker just as Kate closed hers.

"How was class? You seem to be in a bad mood." Spoke Kate.

Serena rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Who wouldn't? Especially since there were people glaring at me behind my back."

Kate's eyes flickered to her right before turning her attention back to Serena, "It always happens. But they are nice people, we talk from time to time and Lyra is best friends with Ethan. I'm sure that they feel apologetic for it as well, we usually sit together or at least nearby during class. I'll talk to them later about how you feel, don't worry, they won't make you feel uncomfortable or anything."

Serena gave a tired but small smile, "Thanks, Kate."

Kate grinned, "Come on, let's go and get some food. Rosa and Lyra are probably waiting for us back at the dorms."

Kate dragged Serena to the school cafeteria where the two friends got some takeaway back to their respective dorms. Kate's roommate was Lyra and their dorm was just beside Rosa and Serena. The two headed to Kate's dorm room, where two other brunette girls were. Among the four of them, Serena was the only non-brunette. Serena had waist length honey blond hair which was usually tied into a ponytail. Rosa had coffee brown hair which was usually tied into long twin side buns which reached her waist level. Lyra had chocolate brown hair which were usually tied into low twin tails. Kate had copper brown hair which were usually tied into spiky buns.

"You two are back! How was class?" Asked Rosa.

"Other than the boys' fangirls glaring at Serena, everything was fine." Shrugged Kate.

Lyra sighed, "They are annoying, but we'll find a way around them."

"Speaking of them, I saw this earlier." Spoke Rosa, pulling a flyer from her file.

Rosa passed the flyer Kate who inspected the flyer, "Lumiose High Boarding School's Annual Band Competition."

"Sign-ups close in two days and I heard that the boys are participating and so are their fangirls. We can join and show them what we're made of and that we're not to be taken lightly. And it's not like none of us can't play any instruments. Serena, you can play an instrument too right?" Said Rosa.

Serena simply blinked, "I guess I can play the keyboard but it's been a while since I've touched a piano or keyboard."

"Rosa plays the guitar, Lyra plays the drums and I play the bass. Rosa and I alternate between being the vocalist, but a keyboardist would help a lot." Said Kate.

"It's what we enjoy doing, we don't look forward to winning the competition, having fun is the most important thing." Said Lyra.

"Serena are you in this with us?" Asked Rosa.

Serena paused before giving a small smile, "It would be fun, I guess."

Rosa grinned, "That's good, because I've already filled in the application form for us. But all we need is a name for our band."

"How about Diamonds? I mean we have wills that are hard as diamonds." Suggested Lyra.

"And not to mention that we're pretty cute!" Said Rosa.

"I guess that will work." Coughed Kate.

"I have no objections." Shrugged Serena.

Rosa grinned as she wrote the name of their band onto the application form.

"I'll go and submit this to the office later. But first, let's eat." Said Rosa, with a grin.

Serena passed over a box of sushi and sandwiches. "Are we writing our own songs for the competition?"

"We are, that's where our individuality comes in." Said Lyra.

"What about the instruments then?" Asked Serena.

Rosa, Lyra and Kate shared a smirk before Lyra headed over to the other end of the room and pulled open the odd looking door. Lyra motioned for the others to come over. Serena wondered why there was a strange looking door at the end of the room but after looking behind it, Serena realised that there was a drum set, a bass, a guitar and a keyboard placed there.

"We practice here, this part of the room has been soundproofed. Our room was on the long side and since we didn't need so much space, we decided to add a soundproof wall here and this door to hide our instruments and so that we can practice without anyone knowing. We couldn't really hear any music outside of this room, so our band has been kept a secret from others." Said Lyra.

"Girls, why don't you let Serena take a look at the songs that we have written while I submit the application form?" Asked Rosa.

Kate and Lyra agreed and Rosa took her leave. Lyra pulled a folder off the shelf and passed it to Serena.

"These are the songs that we have written, we currently have only six songs but we'll write more as we go along." Said Lyra.

"We've got a week until the first round of the competition, so we can write another song during the week." Said Kate, while Serena was looking through the file.

"All these songs are really good, after all they are written from the heart." Said Serena, with a small smile.

It was at that moment that Rosa returned and she gave the girls a thumbs up. "We're in the competition and I saw the boys' application as well as their fangirls'. And the names of the participants are kept a secret, so we can surprise the whole school during the day of the competition."

But Lyra did notice that Rosa wasn't as happy when she left.

"Rosa, did something happen?" Asked Lyra.

Kate and Serena also paused from what they were doing as Lyra pulled Rosa to sit down on the floor.

"Let's just say, I saw something I'd rather not see." Muttered Rosa.

"Is it about Nate again?" Asked Kate.

Serena was confused but she could tell that Rosa was troubled.

"Nate is our school's most notorious player and he's Rosa's childhood friend." Said Lyra.

"And Rosa has a crush on him." Piped Kate, with a smirk.

Rosa's expression immediately became a scowl, "Who in the right mind would fall for that guy?"

"Well you did apparently." Smirked Kate.

Lyra clear her throat, "Jokes aside, what did Nate do this time?"

Rosa frowned, "Well, he dumped this girl at the basketball court without any reason again. And somehow that makes me mad."

"I guess that's because he is someone special to you. He is your childhood friend after all." Said Lyra.

"Cheer up, don't let such a thing upset you and dampen your mood and day." Said Serena.

"Tell you what, I'll talk to Ethan about Nate. He has been getting out of hand these days. I have some stuff that I need to discuss with him anyway." Frowned Lyra.

Lyra unclipped a Love Ball from her belt and released the Pokémon inside it. A Glaceon emerged from the ball and it nuzzled against Lyra's leg.

"I'll meet you girls for dinner?" Spoke Lyra.

Kate nodded and the girl left the room with her Glaceon.

"Rosa, maybe you should return to your room for a rest first. I'll bring dinner back to your room later, then we can have dinner together." Said Kate.

"Kate's right, you could use a short nap. Come on, I'll help you back." Said Serena.

Serena helped Rosa up and the two girls headed back to their room while Kate kept away the file and shut the door to their practice area. Kate took a seat on her bed before pulling a Great Ball from a small basket which held her Pokéballs. Kate enlarged it before releasing the Pokémon inside it. A Leafeon emerged from the Ball and Kate patted its head.

"Shall we go for a walk?" Asked Kate.

"Leaf! Leaf!" Responded Leafeon excitedly.

Kate chuckled at her Pokémon's enthusiasm before getting up from her bed. Kate slipped on her sneakers and Pokéballs onto her belt. Kate locked up her room before heading to the lift.

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 **This is all for the first chapter, and I hope that you will stay with me for the rest of this story. Please favourite and review this story, don't be a silent reader. I like to hear your views and thoughts.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Firstly, I want to thank all those who followed, favourited and reviewed this story. I'm happy that you guys like my story.**

 **Secondly, replies to the reviews. I'm going to reply all of my reviews this way as I have guest reviewers.**

 **Zedric751: Thank you very much.  
Bunnicles: Thank you for reviewing, it's rare for people to ship Almiashipping and Heartsoulshipping. But it's nice to see another fan.  
Guest: Here's the update!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

Lyra walked along the hallways of the school building before she arrived at an empty music room. Lyra's Glaceon walked beside its trainer and Lyra released an Espeon from a Repeat Ball. The two Pokémon stood beside their trainer while Lyra opened the door carefully. Inside the music room was a boy with navy blue hair and a black cap which was worn backwards. The boy who was playing the guitar turned his attention to the opened door. Lyra popped her head through the door and the boy sent Lyra a bright smile.

"Come on in." Smiled the boy.

"How's your practicing going, Ethan?" Asked Lyra.

"Just practicing for the competition, you will come and watch right?" Asked Ethan.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Said Lyra.

Lyra's Espeon struck up a conversation with Ethan's Umbreon while Lyra's Glaceon stretched its body against the cool flooring of the music room.

"About Nate..." Trailed Lyra.

Ethan frowned, "He has been through a tough time lately."

"But he has been getting out of hand lately. Rosa is really worried about him, and as her friend, I'm worried about her." Frowned Lyra.

Ethan sighed, "I can't tell you anything, if you want to know, you should ask him personally. As for Rosa, I feel bad for her too. I'll get Nate to talk to her."

"One more thing, Serena feels uncomfortable when you guys sit beside her in class without us. Your fangirls keep glaring at her, and she can't concentrate during class." Said Lyra.

Ethan's eyes softened, "I'll talk to the guys about this later. I can understand her feelings."

Lyra gave a small smile, "Thank you."

"How about we go and grab some coffee? I'd like to spend some time with my best friend." Said Ethan.

"Why not?" Replied Lyra, with a small smile.

Both trainers recalled their Pokémon before leaving the music room. Ethan offered Lyra his hand and she took it with a smile. Ethan and Lyra soon arrived at the cafeteria's cafe. Lyra got a cup of iced mocha latte while Ethan got a cup of iced caramel latte. They found a booth seat to talk while they had their coffee.

"So, how are you these days?" Asked Ethan.

"Same old routine, but I guess things have been a little different ever since Serena transferred here. She's a good friend." Said Lyra.

Ethan smiled slightly, "I could tell, you seemed happier."

"I'll accompany you tomorrow, when you go and visit your parents." Spoke Ethan, softly.

Lyra's expression became solemn but she nodded, "You don't have to, but feel free to join me tomorrow."

No one other than Ethan knew that Lyra's parents were already dead. They died when Lyra was just seven and her grandparents have raised her ever since. Ethan knew how much Lyra missed her parents and he always made time to talk and spend time with her. They were childhood best friends after all.

Ethan patted Lyra's head before giving her an encouraging smile. The two friends decided to talk about something happier.

Lyra gave Ethan a grateful smile, "Ethan, thanks for talking with me."

Ethan grinned, "No problem."

"If you will excuse me, I'll be getting takeout for my friends and I for dinner." Spoke Lyra.

Ethan nodded and Lyra left the area. Lyra went to get takeout for dinner for herself and the others. Kate had offered to help her carry the food since Serena was with Rosa, Kate herself was out for a walk. Kate found Lyra waiting for their food. Lyra and Kate saw the former's name pop up on the screen and the two collect the bags of food.

"What did Ethan say?" Asked Kate.

"Ethan said that he would talk to Nate. Apparently Nate has been though a pretty hard time and he flirts and dates girls more often to release the stress, not that I agree with such a form of a stress reliever." Replied Lyra, with a slight frown.

Kate nodded slightly in agreement to Lyra's statement as they approached Rosa and Serena's dorm room. Kate knocked on Serena and Rosa's room door three times before Serena opened the door.

"We've got dinner, so come over in a little while." Said Kate.

"Rosa is just freshening up." Nodded Serena.

Kate and Lyra nodded and they headed to their room to put the food boxes down, but they left the door open. Rosa and Serena came over a few minutes later. Lyra and Kate opened up the food on a small table on the floor.

"Ethan said that he will talk to Nate, hopefully things will get better and Rosa might have a chance with Nate." Said Lyra, with a playful smirk.

Rosa scowled at her friend's joke before Lyra waved the scowl off, knowing that Rosa knew that it was just a joke.

"Ethan said that Nate has been going through a pretty tough time lately, and dating and flirting with those girls is his way of releasing the stress not that I agree with it." Said Lyra.

"Rosa, maybe you should talk to him. After all, you guys have known each other since childhood. You would probably understand him better than anyone else." Said Kate.

"But we aren't close, not anymore." Responded Rosa, muttering the last part.

"You should still show your concern as a friend." Spoke Serena.

Lyra paused from her eating when she heard Serena's statement before she started humming a tune. Lyra set down her utensils before heading over to the practice room. Kate, Rosa and Serena followed Lyra curiously. Lyra started playing the tune that she was humming on the keyboard before Rosa grabbed a music score pad and handed it to Serena who started writing the notes down. Rosa picked up her acoustic guitar and started playing the same chords on her guitar.

"This sounds nice." Spoke Kate, with a smile.

Serena and Rosa played the chords on their respective instruments while Kate watched as Lyra started humming while writing down some lyrics. Kate realised that the song probably didn't need a drum beat or a bass part, it probably only needed a piano and acoustic guitar part.

"I think all this song needs is an acoustic guitar and piano part. It doesn't need a bass or drum part." Said Kate.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way." Nodded Rosa.

"Why don't we let Lyra sing this song, since she was the one who wrote the lyrics and the intro of the song. Kate can sing with her too." Said Serena.

Rosa clapped her hands in agreement, "That's a great idea, I mean we probably don't need a drum or bass in this song, so the two of you can sing."

"I don't know, I'm not that good at singing. Kate is so much better than I am." Said Lyra.

"But you wrote the lyrics, so it is only fair that you get to sing it. I'll sing along with you too." Said Kate.

While Lyra and Kate were talking about who was going to sing, Serena and Rosa continued writing the chords for their respective instruments with the lyrics that Lyra has written for reference. It took them a while before they finally figured out how the song would sound like. Rosa and Serena played the intro while Lyra and Kate sang along for a testing.

"The intro sounds good." Said Rosa.

"Let's go with this song, we still have about a week left to finish writing and to practice this song." Said Kate.

Rosa and Serena continued playing and writing chords before they decided to stop so that they could finish eating their dinner.

"It's getting late, let's finish up our dinner before we go to bed. We have a pretty long day of classes tomorrow." Said Kate.

The girls finished up their dinner and cleaned up Kate and Lyra's dorm. Rosa and Serena threw away the trash before returning to their room.

"I'll take a bath first, if you don't mind." Spoke Kate.

"Go ahead." Said Lyra.

Lyra lay on her bed while Kate headed to the bathroom. Lyra hugged her pillow before heading to her closet to pick out her clothes for sleeping and for tomorrow. Lyra pulled out a sleeveless yellow nightgown from her closet and hung it next it to her towel. Lyra also pulled out a black shoulder-less top with white jeans and black platform sandals, and she hung them on her closet door. Lyra heard the bathroom door unlock and she picked up her towel and nightgown and headed to the bathroom. Lyra let the water wash down her body as she took her shower.

"A lot of things have happened lately. Things are going to be much harder from now on." Sighed Lyra.

Lyra took her time to bathe and Kate doing some reading while wearing her glasses when Lyra exited the bathroom. Lyra dried her hair with the hairdryer while Kate continued reading.

"Lyra, is math the only class that we don't share with Serena?" Asked Kate, looking up from her book as Lyra sat on her bed.

"It is, all of Serena's other classes have at least one of us there. But she has math with Nate and Calem." Said Lyra.

"Let's hope that Serena becomes friends with them soon, so that she won't be too stressed." Said Kate.

"I hope so too, but it's the fangirls who are making things hard. Serena never wanted to be part of the popular crowd in the first place, I think don't anyone of us wanted to be in the popular crowd in the first place." Said Lyra.

"You're right about that, we became popular somehow but we aren't like the other popular girls. If we were all given a choice in the first place, we'd rather not be in the popular crowd at all. Popularity doesn't really matter at all, what really matters is your personality and how you treat others." Said Kate.

Lyra nodded, "That's true, power and popularity isn't everything, which is why I'm glad I have friends like you guys."

Kate stifled a yawn and Lyra giggled.

"Let's go to bed, we still have classes tomorrow." Said Lyra.

Lyra turned on the nightlight while Kate turned off the main light. The two girls snuggled into their beds.

"Goodnight." Spoke Lyra.

"Goodnight." Yawned Kate.

* * *

The next morning...

A loud alarm rang across Lyra and Kate's room at exactly 6.45am. Lyra and Kate both sat up on their beds rubbing their eyes sleepily. Kate headed to her closet to pick out her outfit while Lyra went to take her bath. Kate picked out a pale yellow smock ribbon top with a white pleated skirt and white sneakers. Kate made her bed along with Lyra's before Lyra come out of the bathroom fully dressed. Kate picked up her towel and outfit and headed to the bathroom.

Lyra combed her hair and she decided to clip her hair to the side, letting her side tail fall on her left shoulder. Lyra placed her bag on her bed while her shoes were placed by her bedside. Lyra picked up the lyrics sheet from last night's brain storm and read the lyrics which she wrote. The song still wasn't complete yet but Lyra had a feeling that it would be finished sometime today.

Lyra lied on her bed and closed her eyes as she waited for Kate to finish getting ready. Lyra briefly heard the bathroom door unlock but she didn't move from her position. Lyra stayed in that position for a few minutes before opening her eyes. Lyra saw Kate tying her hair into twin tails and not her usual spiky buns.

"What's with the new hairstyle?" Asked Lyra, as she slipped on her shoes.

Kate shrugged, "Since you are wearing a new hairstyle too, I thought that it would be nice to have a change."

"A change is good once in a while." Shrugged Lyra.

"Shall we get going? We don't want to be late for class, we still need to eat breakfast." Said Kate.

"We should." Nodded Lyra.

Lyra and Kate exited their room and Kate made sure to lock the door before they knocked on Rosa and Serena's room door. Serena opened the door with Rosa just behind her. Serena a pale pink short sleeved hoodie with a gray skirt and black platform shoes. Serena's hair was tied into its usual ponytail. Rosa wore a short sleeved sky blue dress with white platform sandals. Rosa's hair was tied into twin tails with white ribbons but without her usual side buns.

"You two look great!" Grinned Kate.

"Let's go and get breakfast." Said Rosa.

The four girls headed to the cafeteria to have their breakfast. Lyra and Serena got a plate of waffles each while Rosa and Kate got a plate of pancakes each.

"So Serena, how do you find the school and the city after being here for almost a week?" Asked Kate.

It's different from where I came from, the city where I came from wasn't so packed or busy. Lumiose City is definitely more "city like" with all the stores, hotels, cafés and restaurants around." Said Serena.

"The city does give off such a feeling." Nodded Kate.

"How about we hang out tomorrow? We can show Serena around the city and it is a Saturday tomorrow." Suggested Rosa.

"That sounds good." Nodded Kate.

"I have no objections." Said Lyra.

"It's decided then!" Grinned Rosa.

The girls finished up their breakfast before heading to their lockers. Lyra stood in front of her locker but not before noticing something sticking out of her locker. Lyra opened her locker carefully and noticed a card attached to a bright blue ribbon which was sticking out from the locker holes. Lyra picked it up curiously before recognising the handwriting before a smile broke onto her face.

Rosa peered over Lyra's shoulder and she smiled.

* * *

Message:

It's been a while since we've hung out, it's was nice talking to you, it reminded me of when we were kids. I'll always be in your care.

Your Friend,  
Ethan Berlitz

* * *

"It must be nice to receive such a note from a childhood friend." Said Rosa, abet a little enviously.

"Don't worry, your childhood friend might just do the same." Said Lyra.

Rosa scoffed, "He would never do such a thing."

"He? Lyra never mentioned that it was a he." Smirked Kate.

"You do like him." Mused Serena, with a rather amused look.

Rosa scowled, realising that she had fallen into a trap. "Like I said before, who in the right mind would fall for a guy like him?"

"Well someone did." Said Kate.

"I do not like him." Scowled Rosa.

"I never said that it was you." Responded Kate, with an amused look.

Rosa scowled once more before ignoring Kate.

"Rosa and I will be heading to our first class then." Said Serena.

Serena dragged Rosa off to class while Kate and Lyra walked to their class.

"Someone is in denial." Muttered Kate, when Rosa and Serena were out of their hearing range.

"You can't blame Rosa for getting mad, especially with Nate's personality. But you are right about one thing, Rosa is in denial about her own feelings." Said Lyra.

"But I guess it would be the best to leave Rosa and Nate's situation alone for now. They should resolve it themselves without any intervention from us." Said Kate.

"But for now, let's not say anything." Said Lyra.

Lyra and Kate entered their classroom and took their seats. Lyra and Kate opened up their grammar books as their teacher entered the class and wrote their assignment on the board. It was a usual practice for this particular class and Kate and Lyra were used to it, but Lyra was much quieter than usual. But Kate didn't comment on it, Kate knew that it was best to leave Lyra alone when she was quiet.

But for some reason, Kate felt that time was moving a lot faster today. And before Kate knew it, it was already the end of school. Today was supposed to be a short day but still time seemed to be moving too fast in Kate's opinion. Kate headed to her locker, and she waited for the others. Kate saw Rosa and Serena approach her with the latter of the pair opening her locker.

"Where is Lyra?" Asked Rosa.

"I haven't seen her ever since English, we have different classes after that." Said Kate.

"I saw her in physics for our second period, but I haven't seen her after that either." Said Rosa.

"I last saw her in chemistry, but that was an hour ago. But I didn't see her after either." Said Serena.

It was then that the boys, namely Kellyn Hajime, Nate Black and Calem Xander, approached them with a very similar question to theirs.

"You girls wouldn't have happened to see Ethan would you?" Asked Kellyn, arguably the most level-headed, after Ethan, of the group.

"We could ask you boys the same thing, have you guys seen Lyra?" Asked Kate.

Calem tapped his chin, "If I remember correctly, those two have their last class together on Fridays, which is today."

"Come to think of it, Lyra was kind of out of it today." Said Rosa.

"Maybe they went somewhere together?" Suggested Nate.

"Lyra isn't answering my calls though." Said Serena, who was on her phone.

"Neither is Ethan answering mine." Said Calem.

Just then Kate remembered something, "What date is it today?"

"April 26th, why?" Asked Nate.

"If that's the case then, there is nothing to worry about for now, at least until they return." Said Kate.

The others raised their eyebrows in confusion, but after a few seconds Kellyn shrugged.

"I trust you, your judgements are usually spot on." Shrugged Kellyn.

Kate grinned, "Thank you for having so much faith in me."

Just then Nate remembered something, "Getting back to why we were looking for you girls in the first place, would you girls like to grab some pizza for lunch with us? You see, Lucas and Dawn are ordering pizza for delivery because they have a special coupon or something, they said that it's their treat and they asked us to invite you girls."

Dawn Hikari and Lucas Kouki were friends of both the girls and the guys, the both of them were pretty popular themselves but they were a year below them. They were all the same age but Dawn and Lucas both got held back a year after they transferred schools during elementary and they had to repeat a year of elementary due to mis-matching school credits. But Lucas and Dawn didn't really mind as they were able to make friends with those who were in the same year as them, but they did miss their friends who were a year above them.

Serena on the other hand blinked confusedly before she remembered the girl with blue hair in one of Rosa's photos.

"Dawn is the girl with blue hair right?" Asked Serena.

"I forgot that Serena hasn't met Dawn and Lucas yet. But you are right, both Dawn and Lucas have blue hair just in different shades." Said Rosa.

"Sounds good, we'll take this chance to introduce Serena to Lucas and Dawn." Said Kate.

"Lucas told us to meet him at his dorm room in twenty five minutes. We'll go and put our things down first and change into something more comfortable and casual, you girls should do the same." Said Kellyn.

With that the boys took their leave, and Kate nodded in agreement to Kellyn's last statement.

"We should change too, at least into pants." Said Kate.

Kate, Rosa and Serena headed back to genie dorms as well. Kate changed into a red hoodie with black shorts, Rosa changed into a white top with brown 3/4 jeans while Serena simply wore a pair of black tights under her skirt. The three girls slipped on their slippers and headed to Lucas's dorm with Kate leading the way. The boys and girls dorms were in separate buildings. Kate led Rosa and Serena to the dorm building next to theirs and they took the lift to the seventh floor and they stopped in front of the room numbered 712. Kate knocked on the door before Calem opened the door.

"You girls are just on time,the pizzas just arrived." Said Calem.

The three girls stepped into the room and they saw four pizza boxes,three bottles of drinks and six boxes of different side dishes on the floor. Nate, Kellyn, Dawn and Lucas were loading the food onto the table.

"That's a lot of food." Murmured Kate.

"We had a special coupon for a six person meal, but even this is a lot of a six person meal. But the eight of us should be able to finish this." Said Lucas.

"Don't worry, it's our treat! It's been a while since we've had a meal together even though Ethan and Lyra aren't here today." Said Dawn.

Dawn then turned her attention to Serena and she gave the honey blond girl a bright smile. "You must be Serena Fiore! I'm Dawn Hikari. It's nice to finally meet you, Lucas and I were itching to meet you but we were busy with a project which was due today."

"My name is Lucas Kouki, it's nice to meet you, Serena. We wanted to have some good food after finishing our project and we just so happened to have that coupon, and we thought that we should treat you guys to a meal." Said Lucas.

"That's so nice of you guys!" Smiled Rosa.

"Well, let's get to eating." Said Lucas with a smile.

Lucas and Calem opened up a pizza box each.

"This one has no pepperoni in it, Rosa doesn't eat pepperoni." Said Lucas.

"This one has pineapples and extra cheese." Said Calem.

Calem offered Serena a slice but she shook her head.

"I'm allergic to pineapples." Said Serena.

"I'm sorry." Apologised Calem.

Serena shook her head, "It alright, you didn't know about my allergy."

Dawn passed Serena a pizza box, "Have this then, this has mushrooms and extra cheese."

Serena took a slice from the box Dawn was holding and she ate it with a smile smile.

"So Serena, where did you move from?" Asked Nate.

"I moved from Celadon City in the Kanto Region." Replied Serena.

"Were you born there?" Asked Lucas.

"I was born in Vermillion City in Kanto, it was a port city. But I moved around a lot when I was younger because of my mother's job before I moved to Celadon City to live with my aunt when I was ten. I haven't moved until I moved here with my mother, her job transferred her here and I moved along with her." Said Serena.

"Were you guys all born here?" Asked Serena?

"Only I was born in Kalos, the others were born in different regions but we all attended the elementary division of this school, this is a boarding school after all. Dawn and Lacus's families live here now though. But Ethan and Lyra's families each have a house in this city. But their families don't live there either." Said Calem.

"I was born in Sandgem Town while Dawn was born in Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh Region. But we both moved here during our fifth year in elementary due to our parents' jobs, they worked for the same company and the company sent our parents to work at the Kalos branch of the company." Explained Lucas.

"Kate and I were both born in the Fiore Region, but in different towns. Our families later moved to Almia and we were neighbours there before we came here." Explained Kellyn.

"Rosa and I were both born in Aspertia City in the Unova region." Said Nate.

"Ethan was born in Goldenrod City in the Johto Region while Lyra was born in Cerulean City in the Kanto region. Both of their families are pretty rich." Said Rosa.

Serena tapped her chin before remembering something, "Does Lyra's family own a water park?"

"Her family does own a water park in Cerulean City, it's pretty famous. Ethan's family owns the Goldenrod Department Store." Said Rosa.

"I've been there on a school trip before but they don't seem like people who would be from such rich families." Said Serena.

"Well there are different types of people in this world. Ethan and Lyra aren't the types to flaunt their wealth. And they love hanging out with us, because they say that we are so down to earth." Said Kellyn.

"Please don't tell anyone about this. No one knows that Ethan and Lyra's families are rich except us." Said Kate.

"I won't." Said Serena, firmly.

"Thanks for the lunch treat though, I'm really full." Said Rosa.

"And we managed to finish the food too." Said Lucas.

"It was great, thanks a lot!" Said Kellyn.

"We should go out for a proper meal sometime soon, perhaps a buffet, there are a couple of good and affordable buffets in Lumiose." Said Calem.

"Sounds good, but perhaps some other time." Said Dawn.

"We should be getting back, Lyra should be back soon as well." Said Kate, getting up.

Kate, Rosa and Serena thanked Dawn and Lucas for the treat before helping them dispose the trash when they left the building. The three girls walked back to their dorm where Lyra was finishing up her lunch. Lyra was having a one person hotpot meal takeout from the cafeteria. Lyra finished her lunch before washing the container.

"Shall we finish up the song? I just finished writing the lyrics about an hour ago." Said Lyra.

Rosa and Serena nodded while Kate picked up the lyrics sheet. Lyra made some hot chocolate for them to drink. Kate, Serena and Rosa read the completed lyrics before Rosa and Serena started playing what they have written so far while Kate and Lyra sang along with the lyrics inside the soundproof room.

It took the girls a few hours but they finally finished writing the song. While Serena and Rosa were writing the music, Kate and Lyra have set up a video camera and voice recorder to record the song so that they could listen to the song as a recording. The first person to record was Serena, she played the whole song on her keyboard. Serena and Rosa then played the whole song as a duet. Rosa then recorded her guitar parts. Kate and Lyra then separated out the parts that they would be singing while Rosa and Serena listened to their recordings.

"The song sounds pretty good." Said Serena.

"How about we go and grab some dinner now?" Asked Kate.

"Lyra, we are planning on showing Serena around the city tomorrow while going to do some shopping for our outfits for the competition." Said Rosa.

"I'm fine with that." Shrugged Lyra.

Lyra, Serena, Kate and Rosa left the room but they made sure to lock their rooms before they headed for dinner, unaware of what was to come in the next few days.

* * *

 **For this story, the various known regions are just different parts of the Poké-World. They are not different countries. That's all that is to be noted for this chapter.**

 **Please follow, favourite and review! Don't be a silent reader!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologise for not updating in September, I was busy with some stuff at home. I made this chapter a little longer to make up for the late update, I try to update my stories at least once per month.**

 **Reply to Review:  
Bunnicles: I'm glad that you enjoy this story. I hope that you will stay with me until the end of this story.  
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starmoonbear: I have already planned to have them appear in this story, they won't be the main characters but they will make an appearance in a later chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

Serena, Rosa, Lyra and Kate headed to the cafeteria where they joined Dawn, Lucas and the other guys at their table, after getting their food. Rosa sat beside Nate, after she realised that it was the only seat left. Rosa mentally scowled, wondered if her friends had purposely planned the seating arrangement or it was a complete coincidence, Rosa hoped that it was the latter.

Rosa used her fork to pick at the vegetables in her pasta while Nate gave a light laugh at her actions.

"You should eat your vegetables." Said Nate.

"Says the guy who doesn't eat his peas." Muttered Rosa.

"At least I eat other vegetables." Supplied Nate.

Rosa rolled her eyes before picking up her milkshake. Rosa sipped on her milkshake before her eyes flickered towards Nate's direction and he caught her stare before giving her a flirtatious smile and wink. Rosa would have rolled her eyes if it weren't for the short but obvious flutter in her heart.

"Anyway, did you hear? The talent show is going to be postponed by a week." Said Lucas.

"But why?" Asked Calem.

"We have our annual trip remember? All students will be going to a different place and it will take place next week. It's a five days and four nights trip." Said Lucas.

"And the date was announced as the week after next, so all classes are cancelled for the week after." Said Dawn.

"Wait, what trip?" Asked Serena, still utterly confused about the situation.

"Did the principal or teacher mention any trip to you when you transferred here?" Asked Kate.

Serena shook her and and Kellyn explained the situation.

"Our school sends its students on a trip each year, it's fully paid by the school excluding our meal and own personal expenses. The announcement should be made sometime next week, mostly likely on Monday. There will be a list of things that you'll need to pack. It's like a holiday with friends and classmates, no studying involved." Explained Kellyn.

"That sounds fun." Nodded Serena.

"What are the locations this time?" Asked Calem.

"We aren't too sure about that, you'll have to ask your teachers. Different students do go to different places after all." Said Dawn.

"Dawn and I should be going, we have a class meeting in fifteen minutes. Let's meet up again sometime." Said Lucas.

"We should!" Said Dawn, with a smile.

Dawn and Lucas cleared their plates before leaving the cafeteria.

"We're going to get some practice, do you girls want to come and watch?" Asked Nate.

"You boys can go on ahead, we have other things to do, maybe some other time." Said Kate.

The girls bid the boys goodnight before returning to their own dorm.

"Let's get some practice, we need it too." Said Rosa.

They entered the soundproof room and Rosa and Serena got their instruments ready. Rosa and Serena started playing while Lyra and Kate sang in tune. The girls practiced verse by verse until they got each verse down perfectly.

"It's getting late." Yawned Rosa.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Asked Serena?

"10?" Spoke Lyra.

"I don't mind, we'll have breakfast before we go." Said Kate.

"We'll see you two tomorrow then." Yawned Rosa.

Lyra and Kate nodded and the latter showed Rosa and Serena out. Kate collapsed on her bed while Lyra headed to her closet. Lyra yawned as she picked out her clothes before trudging towards the bathroom. Kate stared at the ceiling before hearing her phone chime. Kate lazily sat up on her bed and she picked up her phone which was sitting on her bedside table. Kate blinked several times before she realised who it was from. Kate quickly shook off her tiredness and she hurriedly headed to her closet to get a sweater and something else before scrawling Lyra a quick note. Kate carefully checked her surroundings before leaving her dorm building.

Lyra came out of the shower feeling refreshed before she realised that Kate wasn't in the room. Lyra found the post-it-note stuck onto her bedside table. Lyra read the note before shrugging, it wasn't unusual for Kate to go out at night for a walk, after all everyone had their secrets that they couldn't tell anybody.

Lyra dried her hair before hanging up her towel and getting into bed. Lyra left the light on Kate's side of the room on, before she turned off the lights on her side of the room.

* * *

The next morning...

Lyra's loud alarm from her alarm clock rang across the room, waking the two girls up. Lyra got up and made her bed before glancing at Kate. Lyra picked out her own outfit as well as Kate's before going to take her bath. Lyra's outfit consisted of a light pink hoodie with a white pleated skirt and white platform sandals. Kate's outfit consisted of a white minidress with black skinny jeans and black sneakers. Lyra came out fully dressed in her outfit after fifteen minutes and she woke Kate up. Kate blinked groggily before she made her bed and went to take her bath. Lyra threw her dirty clothes into the dirty clothes basket and dried her hair while she waited for Kate. Eventually, Kate came out of the bathroom and Lyra helped her dry her hair. Both Kate and Lyra let their brunette hair down and they looked around the room before they the room right after picking up the backpack that Lyra had packed the previous night.

Kate and Lyra met Serena and Rosa at the lifts both of whom were dressed quite fashionably. Serena wore a red halter neck top with black jeans, a jean jacket and black platform shoes. Rosa wore a pale yellow halter neck ribbon top with a white miniskirt over a pair of black tights and white sneakers.

"You two look great! Let's go and grab some breakfast." Said Rosa.

The girls took the lift down and walked towards the cafeteria where they found Kellyn having his breakfast alone.

"Good morning, Kellyn." Greeted Lyra.

"Good morning to you girls." Said Kellyn.

Kellyn inspected the girls' outfits before his gaze flickered over to Kate's, something which Kate caught but it went unnoticed by the other girls.

"Are you girls going out?" Asked Kellyn.

"We're showing Serena around the city." Replied Kate.

"Have fun." Said Kellyn.

"Why are you alone though?" Asked Serena?

"Nate and Calem are probably still asleep either that or they have just woken up. I went for a run this morning and as far as I know, Ethan went for a swim, so he should be showering at the moment. Not that I mind this silence, it's pretty nice once in a while." Shrugged Kellyn.

"We shall not disturb you then, we're grabbing a quick breakfast before we leave." Said Lyra.

The girls each got a sandwich and they finished it by the time they reached the school gate. The girls walked to the mall, it wasn't too far from their school. The girls pointed out the various signs and landmarks to Serena along the way.

"We don't need too complicated outfits, simple ones will do. Let's mix and match around with our own clothes." Said Rosa.

"Erm, I know someone who can help us. She is a relative of mine, and I think she had a shop around here somewhere. And I need I collect something from there anyway." Said Serena.

"Sure thing, show the way Serena." Spoke Rosa.

Serena led them to a shop called Valerie's Fairy Wardrobe. Serena entered the shop and she was greeted by a beautiful lady who looked to be about only five years older than them.

"Welcome, Serena. Thanks for informing me that you would be coming to pick up your package. And welcome to Lumiose City!" Said Valerie, with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Aunt Valerie. These are my friends, Rosa White, Kate Hitomi and Lyra Kotone." Said Serena.

"It's nice to meet you all, and thank you for taking care of Serena. And Serena, please call me Valerie, Aunt Valerie makes me sound old." Said Valerie.

Serena turned to her friends who greeted Valeria except Rosa who was wide eyed.

"Serena! The great Valerie is your relative? I'm a big fan!" Gasped Rosa.

Valerie Fawn was a popular model and fashion designer who had her own shop selling affordable clothes for all ages. Rosa was a big fan of Valerie's work.

"But you're her aunt?" Spoke Kate, confusedly.

"It's a long story but I was sort of an accidental child, I was born fifteen years after Serena's mother. I was only twelve when my sister got married." Explained Valerie.

"So what do you need? Serena tells me that you need outfits for a competition." Said Valerie.

"We're hoping to get some clothes for our performances. We want them to be simple." Said Serena.

"I have a bunch of extra clothes, would you like to have them? I'll let you choose them of course!" Said Valerie.

The girls were confused before Valerie led them to the store room where lots of clothing racks full of clothes were.

"I had planned on giving Serena some clothes anyway, these are well rejects. The models that are supposed to wear them, can't fit into them due to several miscommunications during the taking of measurements. They are in very good condition and can be worn and I think you girls could fit them. I don't have any use for these clothes anyway, I was planning on donating these to charity but you can take anything that you girls need. I'll be making the donation in a month, after doing some paperwork. You girls can get these clothes from me any time before that." Said Valerie.

"Are you sure, Miss Valerie?" Asked Lyra.

"Choose whatever clothes that you like, I still have plenty more than haven't arrived. But please don't tell anyone else where you got these clothes from. I'm doing this because you girls are friends of Serena and since we're family." Said Valerie.

"We won't tell anyone." Said Kate, firmly.

I'll help you pick out the clothes, you said that you girls wanted a simple style right?" Spoke Valerie.

Valerie inspected each girl before picking out a complete outfit for each girl. In the end, each girl left the store with two bags each. They thanked Valerie for the clothes and promised not to tell anyone about the clothes.

"Let's get back, I want to put this bags down. And I have no desire to deal other people right now." Said Kate.

"I agree." Said Rosa, nodding in agreement.

"We'll get take away from the cafeteria later." Said Lyra.

"I don't mind." Shrugged Serena.

The girls headed back to school and they headed to their dorm rooms. Kate switched out her mini-dress for a shirt and her jeans for a pair of shorts and she removed her jacket. Serena switched out her jeans for a pair of shorts while Rosa changed into a white tank top with a pair of short shorts.

Serena and Lyra left to get their lunch while Rosa and Kate were changing.

"I'm starving." Said Serena.

"We all are, we had a light breakfast and it's almost 2 right now. It's been a couple of hours since we ate anything." Said Lyra.

Lyra and Serena got take out and they passed by Dawn on their way back to Serena and Rosa's room. The blunette greeted them with a nod as she left the dorm building while the two girls entered the dorm building. Lyra and Serena headed to the latter's dorm room where Rosa and Kate were waiting for them.

"I'm starving." Said Rosa, stretching her body.

"Do you girls have any plans later? I'm going out for a while." Said Kate.

"Not really, unless you count doing some exercise as a plan." Pointed out Rosa.

"I don't." Said Lyra.

"Neither do I." Said Serena.

"You girls don't have to wait for me for dinner, you girls can go ahead." Said Kate.

Serena and Rosa passed out the food which turned out to be Chinese food. Kate ate her food silently before leaving the room. Kate returned to her room and changed back into her former outfit before she met up with Kellyn.

"Let's go, he's probably throwing a fit right now." Muttered Kellyn.

Kate simply rolled her eyes and the two brunette teens left the school compound. They headed towards a cafe, where a red-haired male wearing a green shirt with grey slacks and brown sneakers were waiting for them outside.

"You two are late!" Spoke the male.

Kellyn rolled his eyes, "We are early, and you just came here too early for once."

"Come on, I'll show you to my apartment. I have something important that I need to show you two." Muttered the male.

Kate and Kellyn's expressions turned serious and they followed the red-haired male, whose name was Keith Dazzle. They entered an apartment building, and they took the elevator up to the sixth level. Keith opened the second door from the corridor. It was a relatively simple apartment, with all the basic necessities and a small unpacked black suitcase. A Buizel was sleeping on the sofa.

"Sorry, I don't have anything to serve you guys, I just arrived last night as you probably already know. I haven't unpacked yet and this apartment belongs to the Ranger Union. I'm here for a couple of days before I need to move to another town. I'm temporarily posted here after poaching incidents, by a villainous team called Team Flare, were reported." Said Keith.

"What did you need to show us then?" Asked Kate.

Keith opened up his suitcase and pulled out a small but thick envelope. Keith passed the envelope to Kellyn who opened it to find several photographs.

"Isn't this Team Dim Sun?" Asked Kate, raising an eyebrow.

"It is, they are the remaining members who remain loyal to Blake Hall's cause and there are also a few members who are loyal to Mr Kincaid. It's rumoured that they might be making a comeback under Mr Kincaid, who hasn't been caught by the authorities." Explained Keith.

"But what are you telling us this piece of information? I know that we defeated Team Dim Sun the first time, but we aren't even in Almia at the moment." Said Kate.

"You two are going on a school trip right?" Asked Keith, which was answered with a nod from Kellyn.

"That school trip of yours will be to Almia, a group from your school will going to Almia for the trip. The Ranger Union managed to pull some strings to get your school to organise a trip to Almia. And that includes a tour of the Ranger Union, so you two will have to be on active duty during that time. You two will probably be on missions rather than be with your friends." Said Keith.

"It's been a while since we've been to Almia, and not to mention an active mission." Murmured Kellyn.

"But you two are not to mention anything about going to Almia for the school trip until the news is revealed. Wear your ranger uniforms when you arrive in Almia by boat. You are free to take on any mission or quests after that. Don't worry about anything, the Ranger Union will handle the other things including questions from your friends and schoolmates." Said Keith.

"How is everyone?" Asked Kate, while nodding.

"Everyone is doing fine, but we all miss you two. Just pay everyone a visit when you guys reach Almia." Said Keith.

"How long will you be here for?" Asked Kellyn.

"Until next week? I need to check on more stuff before going to the next town." Said Keith.

"Thanks for the heads up, Keith. Let's hang out again next time, with all of the others." Said Kate.

Keith waved it off, "It's nice seeing you two again, let's meet up again sometime."

Keith showed Kellyn and Kate out before the latter two returned to walking on the streets of Lumiose.

"I can't believe that we're going back to Almia for a mission after so long." Murmured Kate, but loud enough for Kellyn to hear.

"Yeah, but we should do some research first. The library and press office should have the information we need." Said Kellyn.

"I guess we can request a meeting with the head of the press office, using our status as top rangers." Said Kate.

"Did you bring your styler?" Asked Kellyn.

Kate nodded and she showed Kellyn her inner jacket pocket.

"Let's go then." Muttered Kellyn.

Kellyn led the way to the Lumiose Press Office and they were allowed entry into the building. Kellyn and Kate slipped on their Votanage stylers and gloves in the elevator. Kellyn and Kate navigated through the office area until their arrived at their destination, the office of the Editor-In-Chief of the Lumoise Press, Alxeia. Kate gently knocked on the door three times before she opened the door. The Editor-In-Chief was quite surprised when she saw two teenagers outside her office but she immediately let them in when Kellyn and Kate raised up their right hands, with their Votanage Stylers attached on.

"What can I help you two Top Rangers with?" Asked Alexia.

"We were wondering if you had any inside news on Almia. We need for an investigation." Spoke Kellyn, choosing his words carefully.

"Or anything related to incidents about Almia, preferably during the past year or so." Added Kate.

Alexia tapped her chin, "I have an archive on each region, and Almia's isn't that thick. But I can give the two of you a soft copy of the news that we've written on Almia so far."

"That would work too." Nodded Kellyn.

Kate and Kellyn both pulled out a USB drive each from their pockets and handed them to Alexia, who transferred a copy of the news on Almia onto the USB drives.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Alexia." Said Kellyn.

"It was my pleasure to help the Top Rangers." Said Alexia.

Alexia showed Kate and Kellyn out of her office and they shared a look.\

"We should meet up with Keith first." Whispered Kate.

"I'll contact him." Nodded Kellyn.

Kellyn opened his styler and contacted Keith before the two Top Rangers removed their stylers. The two Top Rangers made their way to Keith's temporary apartment, where Keith was waiting for them.

"How did you investigation go?" Asked Keith.

"We got a copy of the data, do you have a soft copy of the photos and data?" Asked Kellyn.

Keith shook his head, "I don't unfortunately, and I am to keep these photos with me on hand. But you two should contact the Ranger Union for the data, I'm sure that they would be happy to send you the data. Just contact, Murph. Don't contact anyone else, contacting Murph will not reveal your identity to others. Only Murph, Professor Hastings and Chairperson Erma will know that you guys contacted him."

"Let's contact them now, using Keith's computer then we can just transfer the data." Said Kellyn.

Kate agreed and they made the call using Kellyn's styler. It took a while before Murph's face appeared on the screen.

"Kellyn! Kate! It's been a long time, I presume that you have met up with Keith?" Spoke Murph.

"It's been a long time Murph, and Keith gave us a brief on the current situation." Said Kate.

"It's a good thing that you guys called at this time because Professor Hastings and Chairperson Erma are with me at the moment." Said Murph.

Murph moved away from the screen to show Chairperson Erma while Professor Hastings showed his face for a few seconds before disappearing again.

"I supposed that Keith has given you the brief, Sven and Wendy are looking into the matter as well. But it would be helpful for outside help and information." Said Chairperson Erma.

"We just visited the local press office for a copy of all the news relating to Almia." Said Kellyn.

"Is there anything else we can do at the moment?" Asked Kate.

"Just focus on your studies and the research. You'll be back in Almia in about a week anyway." Said Chairperson Erma.

"Murph, can we have a copy of the photos and data that you gave Keith?" Asked Kellyn.

"Sure, I'll send them over to Keith right away." Replied Murph, reappearing back on the screen.

Almost immediately, a window popped up with the data transfer message. It took a few minutes before the data was completely transferred.

"The data transfer is complete, Murph." Said Keith.

"Well, I wish you luck on your mission Keith. See you guys soon!" Said Murph.

"See you next week, Murph!" Said Kate.

With that Murph hung up and Keith quickly transferred the data to Kate and Kellyn's USB drives.

"We should be going now, we shall not disturb you any further Keith." Said Kellyn.

"How about we have dinner together? My treat. It's been a while since we've hung out." Said Keith.

"It's been a while and I suppose dinner couldn't hurt." Spoke Kate.

"Since it is Keith's treat, then I wouldn't mind. He usually doesn't treat others after all." Replied Kellyn.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shouted Keith.

Kellyn laughed while Kate smacked both of their heads.

"This is just like when we were still in Ranger School, only except Rhythmi isn't here." Said Kate.

"But we'll see her next week." Spoke Kellyn.

"But Keith wouldn't be there." Said Kate.

"I'll be back in Lumoise after my round trip around the region, since the airport is here. And I'm sure that Rhythmi would enjoy a vacation here, I mean she could shop all day. You guys can just meet us." Said Keith.

Kate shrugged, "I guess that works too."

"Any good place to eat?" Asked Keith?

"Well there is a pretty good ramen shop down the street." Spoke Kate.

"Let's go there then!" Said Keith.

The three rangers left the apartment with Kate leading the way. She led the two boys to a quaint ramen restaurant. They found themselves a booth seat, with Kate sitting alone while Keith and Kellyn sat together. The three rangers made their order and they chatted while they waited for their food.

"How are things at the union?" Asked Kellyn.

"Things are fine for the most part, Solana and Lunick usually shuttle between Fiore and Almia these days. Professor Hastings says that he only feels safe when they escort him. Sven and Wendy are usually all around Almia, taking on various missions. Summer and Ben were sent to Oblivia for a mission, and we sort of lost contact with them for a couple of weeks. We finally got a transmission from them about three days ago, or so I heard." Said Keith.

"Everyone is so busy." Sighed Kate.

"I know how you feel, but we had to continue schooling, and besides the Ranger School is a specialised school sort of like a summer school. We had to attend mainstream schools again, but we moved to Kalos instead of staying in Almia." Said Kellyn.

"Rhythmi and I graduated a couple of months ago. The Ranger Union helped us with our school credits since we're so busy. Even though all Rhythmi does is sit in front of a screen and talk." Said Keith, rolling his eyes.

"Well Rhythmi is an operator, although I'm quite surprised that Rhythmi hasn't lost her voice yet, especially after all that yelling at Keith." Said Kellyn, with a smirk.

Kate rolled her eyes, "That's because she takes good care of herself, at least Keith is improving. I haven't received more than five messages from Rhythmi about Keith during the past couple of weeks. Usually my inbox is filled with Rhythmi's emails about Keith."

Keith gave a smirk, "At least I'm improving."

"You shouldn't annoy Rhythmi too much, she has a pretty bad temper when she's angry." Said Kate.

"Kate has a point." Spoke Kellyn.

"Well, Rhythmi is easily excited and agitated. She doesn't really get out much, so I try my best to make her smile even if she gets angry at me." Said Keith.

"Even though we rangers are the ones facing all the danger, it's the operators who are always working. They rarely get any day offs and their working hours are stricter than ours." Agreed Kellyn.

"We should spend more time with her when we visit Almia next week." Said Kate.

"You should, she misses the two of you, even though we exchange emails every week." Said Keith.

"I miss her too." Spoke Kate.

"We'll see her and everyone else next week, including our parents." Said Kellyn, firmly.

The three rangers' conversation was interrupted by their arrival of their food. Kate and Kellyn thanked Keith again for the food before the three rangers dug into their food.

The three rangers exited the restaurant half an hour later, with Keith paying the bill, like he had promised.

"The food was pretty good and it wasn't that pricey." Said Keith.

"Thanks for the food, Keith. Kate and I should be getting back. We shall not disturb you further from your mission or work." Said Kellyn.

"Yeah, thanks for the food, Keith. Let's meet up again sometime." Said Kate, with a smile.

Keith gave his signature grin, "Sure. Make sure to contact me when you guys arrive in Almia."

Kate and Kellyn parted ways with Keith, with the latter heading back to his apartment while the former two walked back to their school dormitory.

"I'll walk you back to your dorm building, Kate." Spoke Kellyn.

"It's alright, I can walk back by myself." Said Kate.

"It's not a bother, our dorm buildings are just beside each other and Keith would probably get mad at me if I let you walk back alone." Said Kellyn.

Kate gave a small smile, "Thanks Kellyn."

Kellyn walked Kate back to her dorm building, like he had offered and promised.

"Thanks for walking me back, Kellyn." Said Kate, with a smile.

Kellyn waved it off, "It's nothing, and besides we are friends and partners after all."

Kate smiled, "It's been a while since I've heard you say that about us."

Kellyn scratched his head, "It's been a really long time since we've worked together on anything. We should work together again soon."

"I'd be happy to be your partner, all you have to do is ask." Said Kate, with a smile.

Kate smiled and Kellyn reached out pat her head. Kate gave a shy smile at the gesture while Kellyn simply grinned.

"I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast?" Asked Kellyn.

"Actually, I was planning on going on a long run, would you like to join me? It's been a while and I would like to get myself ready for any missions have we might have in Almia." Said Kate.

Kellyn paused before he shrugged, "Why not? I usually go for a run in the mornings anyway."

"I'll see you here at 6.30am then." Spoke Kate.

"Sure." Nodded Kellyn.

Kate gave Kellyn one last smile before she entered the building. Kate looked behind her shoulder and she saw Kellyn taking one last glance at her before going back to his dorm building. Kate took the lift up to her dorm room and she quietly opened up the door. She found it to be empty and she glanced at the clock, which showed 7.56pm.

"The others are probably having dinner." Muttered Kate, to herself.

Kate picked up her towel and sleep clothes before heading to the bathroom. Kate took a long shower to relax and process whatever that happened today. When Kate finally stepped out of the bathroom, Lyra still wasn't back yet. Kate dried her hair before getting ready for bed. Kate turned off the lights on her side of the room as well as a small nightlight before tucking herself into bed. Kate soon drifted off to dreamland, feeling the fatigue from starting her ranger work again taking over, and she stayed that way even after Lyra had returned.

* * *

The next morning...

Kate woke up when her alarm rang, Kate rubbed her eyes sleepily before getting out a white shirt and red track pants. Kate tied her hair into a ponytail and she brought along a towel and water bottle. Kate released her Pachirisu, who was also her partner Pokémon. Kate left the room quietly and she met up with Kellyn, who was with his Pachirisu, who was his partner Pokémon. Kellyn nodded to acknowledge Kate's presence. The two headed to the school field.

"Pachi, can you take care of our stuff?" Asked Kate, glancing at her partner.

"Pachi!" Responded Kate's Pachirisu excitedly.

Kate smiled and she left her water bottle beside her Pachirisu, Kellyn did the same thing with his Pachirisu. Kate and Kellyn did some stretches to warm up before beginning their laps. Kellyn and Kate's Pachirisus cheered their respective partners on, when they started their laps.

After their sixth lap, Kellyn and Kate stopped to take a drink from their water bottles.

"Man that was a good run!" Said Kate, stretching her muscles.

"It did feel good." Agreed Kellyn.

"Do you want to continue? Or shall we head for breakfast?" Asked Kate.

"Let's do four more laps before we go for breakfast." Said Kellyn.

"Fine by me!" Spoke Kate.

Kate and Kellyn calmed themselves down before starting their last four laps. Kate was slightly faster than Kellyn because she was her usual energetic self while Kellyn preferred to go at his own pace.

"I think I'll feel even better when we arrive in Almia." Said Kate.

"Same here, after all we've been away for too long." Said Kellyn.

Kate fell quiet before Kellyn glanced at his partner.

"Kellyn, do you miss being an active ranger? Even Keith and Rhythmi graduated earlier than us, we still have another year of high school left." Asked Kate.

Kellyn paused before looking his partner in the eye, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss being an active ranger. But you have to remember that Keith and Rhythmi are a year older than us, so they would naturally graduate before us."

"But what if we had stayed in Almia? Would things have been so different?" Asked Kate.

"If we never came here, we would never have met such good friends and made such good memories. You have to admit that the others are a pretty good and strong influence on us." Said Kellyn.

Kate glanced at her partner before sighing, "I guess you're right, but I can't help but miss being ranger, especially after so long."

"I guess it has been six months since we've been on a mission. The last mission was to just check on some Pokémon habitats, but that was in Kalos. This time we are returning to Almia." Said Kellyn.

Kellyn paused as he took another drink from his water bottle.

"Shall we go for breakfast?" Asked Kellyn.

Kate nodded while the two Pachirisus nodded excitedly. Kellyn chuckled as his Pachirisu climbed onto his shoulder for a ride and Kate's Pachirisu did the same. The two Top Rangers shared a smile before going for breakfast.

The cafeteria was still quite empty when Kate and Kellyn arrived, which was understandable since it was not even 8.30am. Kate got herself a plate of waffles while Kellyn got himself a plate of pancakes. Both of their got a mug of hot chocolate as well. Their Pachirisus munched on their Pokémon food underneath the table.

"It's been a while since the two of us had breakfast together, we used to have breakfast together when we were still active rangers." Said Kate.

"It's been a while, I miss being in the Ranger Union though." Spoke Kellyn.

"We have so many memories there." Said Kate.

"And friends." Added Kellyn.

"Yeah." Murmured Kate.

"Don't worry, we are going to Almia next week anyway. We'll see them again soon." Muttered Kellyn.

"Kellyn, thanks for having breakfast with me today. It reminded me of the past, I'm looking forward to working with you again." Said Kate.

Kellyn blinked before nodding with a smile, "The feeling is mutual."

After breakfast, Kellyn and Kate headed back to their respective dorm rooms. Kate went to take a warm bath and calm herself down so that she could properly think about things. Kate leaned against the wall of the shower area with the warm water falling from above her. Plenty of things have happened in the past two weeks from Serena's transfer to Serena becoming friends with the group and them joining the talent show. A school "trip" to Almia was also coming up and that meant Kate was going to be busy with missions, not that Kate actually minded. Kate was quite psyched and excited about the trip, she missed her fellow co-workers in the ranger field.

Kate shook her head as she got out of the bath and got dressed. Kate exited the bath room just as Lyra was making her bed.

"Where did you go so early in the morning?" Asked Lyra.

"I went for a run this morning and I bumped into Kellyn and he asked me if I wanted to have breakfast together and so we did." Replied Kate, with a brief shrug.

Lyra simply nodded and she didn't comment as to why Kellyn asked Kate on a "date", she wasn't the type to prod into others' private lives and Lyra knew that Kellyn and Kate were good friends from the same hometown, so it was normal for them to hang out. Lyra then headed into the bathroom to have her bath, leaving Kate alone to think.

* * *

 **And we have an appearance by Keith from the Pokémon Ranger series in this chapter, and the other Pokémon rangers will appear in the next few chapters.**

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